Julie did her best to ignore the carnage around her. She tried to look away from the mangled flesh and broken bones that littered the pavement, but as she walked through streets stained with blood and intestines, the stench of rot overwhelmed her. She couldn't hold it in any longer.
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Her face turned pale as she bent down and vomited, the contents of her stomach spilling onto the ground below.
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"I-I'm sorry," Julie said, breathing hard as she slowly raised her head to see Tora and Cerilla looking down at her.
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"I'm surprised you held it together this long," Tora smirked.
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Cerilla looked down at Julie with disgust. "Pathetic," she said, turning away and continuing to walk.
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"Pathetic, huh?" Tora asked with a sly smile. "Who was it that barfed the first time they saw a half-eaten body?"
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Cerilla abruptly stopped and turned around, her face flushed with anger.
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"Shut your mouth!" she yelled, throwing a punch at Tora, who easily dodged it.
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With a smile still on his face, Tora glanced over at Julie. "Don't worry about it. This too shall pass."
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Julie looked into Tora's blue eyes and, for a moment, saw something different. The usual playfulness was gone, replaced by something she couldn't quite name, but it felt deeper, more serious.
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The three continued walking down the flesh-covered streets, and still, Julie couldn't help but glance at the gruesome bodies torn apart, each one looking worse than the last. Her stomach churned, but she forced herself to keep moving.
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"How could anything do this to a human body?" she whispered, her voice trembling as she glanced at a woman's body, missing limbs and covered in deep bite marks etched into her cold, pale flesh.
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Tora's expression darkened. "You're starting to see why Fae are so dangerous." He looked down at the bloodstains on the ground. "They aren't creatures of mortal flesh. They're energy beings that inhabit the other world."
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Julie's interest piqued, and she turned to Tora. "Energy beings, huh?"
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"They crave human flesh and blood, and when they inhabit a body, that craving only grows stronger. So strong, in fact, that the Fae begin to lose their minds as new emotions take over."
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"That's horrible," Julie said, her voice filled with disgust.
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"That's why we need you," Tora said, his voice steady but intense.
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Julie paused, recognizing the urgency in his tone. "You said that before. What do you mean?"
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Tora glanced at her, his expression serious. "When a Fae takes over a human body, they become incredibly powerful and dangerously unpredictable. But there's a catch. At that moment, they're also at their most vulnerable because the memories of the person they've taken over start to mess with their minds. They begin to lose themselves in those memories, becoming less of a Fae and more of a twisted version of the human they've possessed."
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Julie's eyes widened as she absorbed what Tora was saying. "So, you're saying... Trevor's memories are still in there, affecting it?"
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Tora nodded. "Exactly. And that's where you come in. You knew Trevor, right? His favorite spots, the places he'd go when he needed to think, to escape."
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Julie blinked, the realization dawning on her. "You think the Fae would go to those places?"
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"Yeah," Tora confirmed. "It would be drawn to the echoes of Harold's memories, chasing whatever remains of him in its mind. If we can figure out where Trevor would've gone, we might be able to find the Fae before it causes more damage."
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Julie thought hard, memories of Trevor flashing through her mind. "There was a spot near the old riverbank. He loved going there when he wanted to be alone."
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Tora's eyes lit up with determination. "Then that's where we start. Let's go."
***
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The creature stood by the flowing water, its claws sharp and stained with blood, sinews of torn flesh connecting the exposed muscles in its arms. Its clothes were tattered rags, barely clinging to its decaying body, while patches of skin that remained were pale, rotting more with each passing second.
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It gazed into the river, its pure white eyes reflecting back a monstrous image. The creature's mouth, full of jagged teeth still holding pieces of torn flesh, twisted into a grotesque smile as it admired its own horrific reflection.
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But then, a noise caught its attention. It snapped its head up, locking its gaze on a grassy cliff above.
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The creature's smile widened, more of a vicious grin now, as it spotted a young girl with short brown hair. She was trying to sneak away quietly, but the fear in her wide eyes told it everything-she knew she had been discovered.
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The creature's grin widened, its sharp teeth glistening with the remnants of its last victim. Drool began to pool at the corners of its mouth, dripping down onto its tattered clothing. With an ear-piercing, inhuman scream, it lunged forward, its claws extended and ready to tear into the child.
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The young girl's heart pounded in her chest as she let out a terrified scream, her legs propelling her forward with all the speed she could muster. She could hear the creature behind her, its heavy, uneven footsteps pounding against the earth as it pursued her. The sound of its breath, ragged and desperate, was getting closer, mingling with the high-pitched wail that echoed through the trees.
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The girl's lungs burned, and her legs ached, but the sheer terror driving her forward refused to let her stop. She darted through the forest, dodging between trees and leaping over fallen logs, her mind racing for any possible escape. But the creature was relentless, crashing through the underbrush with a feral intensity.
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Branches whipped at the girl's face, leaving stinging marks, but she didn't slow down. She could feel the creature gaining on her, its claws swiping just inches from her back, tearing through the air with a terrifying precision.
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Her foot caught on a root, sending her tumbling to the ground. She scrambled to her feet, her hands shaking, her breath coming in short, panicked gasps. But the creature was nearly upon her now, its eyes glowing with a twisted hunger, its mouth open wide, ready to sink its teeth into her flesh.
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The girl screamed again, louder this time, as the creature let out another blood-curdling shriek, its claws slicing through the air as it prepared to strike.
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The creature lunged forward, its body in mid-air, ready to pounce on the child.
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But its attack was abruptly halted as a fist connected with its left cheek, sending it crashing into the trees.
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"Found you..." Tora said, flexing his hand and cracking his knuckles.
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"The girl's safe," Julie called out, holding the child close to her chest.
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Tora and Cerilla exchanged smiles as they stood side by side, watching the creature struggle to rise among the broken trees. It growled at them, filled with rage.
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"Time to finish this."
***
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Author notes: Please support my work on Patreon for early access to new chapters. https://patreon.com/DarkMatteromniverse
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